This video is an excerpt from a much longer France travel talk by Steve Smith.
To view other topics, or to watch Steve's France talk in its entirety, visit
ricksteves.com or check out my Rick Steves YouTube channel. Enjoy.
Normandy and the Loire. If you've never been to France before, these two regions are the second-most, and third-most
important to see after Paris. And they loop into a perfect route, combining
with the city of Paris. For about 10 days, you can combine Paris, and the Normandy area,
Loire, and maybe even a corner of Burgundy if you want, but I'd dart back to Paris probably
after that, traveling on my own.
Let's travel west of Paris, following the Seine River then, and get into the
Normandy countryside. Both of the regions, Normandy and Loire, are
actually very close to the city of Paris, and easy to access. Following the Seine
River west about an hour, takes you to the "Camp David" of impressionist art, or Claude
Monet's home, where he spent the last 40 years of his life cultivating his art
and his garden. It's a remarkably beautiful place to be, and it's open until November.
It's gorgeous anytime of the year that it's open, seven days a week now, it's
easily daytrip-able from Paris. Train to a short shuttle bus, or bicycle rental, if
you want to, for the four kilometer last stretch done by bike or bus to get to
these gardens. It's crowded, its popular, so strategize your sightseeing when you
go. It's about also halfway to the coast of Normandy, and my favorite first night
stop outside of the city of Paris, in the seafaring town of Honfleur. With over a
thousand years of seafaring history, sailors sailed from here to discover
Canada, Quebec, and the St. Lawrence waterway for example, all from this
little tiny town of Honfleur. Which today just seems like an adorable place
to hang out, and enjoy its cute buildings, and see its principal site of 100% wood
Gothic church, where if you turn it upside down it looks like it would float on the on
the ceiling because it was built from shipwrights,
remember the history of the city. Honfleur is also a favorite of Impressionist artists,
who loved to paint the beaches nearby. Remember you're on the coast of Normandy,
where the Seine meets the Atlantic. Luminous light drew their attention, and
Eugène Boudin, favorite son of the city Honfleur, has a museum dedicated to
him today. Lovely, easy, sample of the impressionist art inspired by this town,
but mostly Honfleur is a lovely place just to hang out, just to get over jet lag if you
just recently arrived. Have a crepe, remember, you're in Normandy, Brittany. Crepes,
anything with apples, cider, Calvados, cream sauces, or seafood makes sense. An
hour and a half south of Honfleur,
the gorgeous cliff of Normandy line the D-Day beaches that looked entirely different
seventy-two years ago. Here,
museums, monuments, cemeteries litter the landscape, paying homage to the British,
Canadian, and American soldiers whose courage landed successfully the greatest
amphibian invasion of history. It's a remarkable accomplishment. The great news
is the museums that exist in the sights describe this so beautifully well to
travelers, particularly we Americans. Here's a point of time where we're
involved in Europe's history, in a very favorable way. Museums dot the landscape.
This is my favorite. The largest is in the city of Caen, it's a great WWII museum,
no question about it, but I'd rather be here, right on the beaches, at Utah beach.
This is the Utah Landing Museum, only reopened two years ago.
Built over a German bunker, you pop out, it does a brilliant job explaining
the strategy that had to happen for paratroopers, the line behind the lines,
for ships to do their work, for landings to happen, just all had to happen just
right on time. It's a gripping event that these museums describe to you
beautifully. All of the equipment you'll see, depending on the museum that you're
looking at, from all the airplanes, I don't care if it's a B-52 or a duck,
they have a lot of ducks, the floating duck ships that we use today, tanks, jeeps, they're all
on display somewhere for you to see, along this fifty-mile stretch of the D-Day
beaches. It's such an important sight that I highly recommend hiring a local guide.
And this is not a cheap event, if you're traveling on your own, join a group
minivan tour for about $100 for the day.
Private guides run 400 to 500 dollars for the day, right, for your
family and you, yes. But if you're gonna ever spend that kind of money, here
is the place in France to do so, because no matter how good I think my
description is in the guide book to these D-Day beaches, there's no way that I can
do justice like Dale Booth does, or Paul Woodadge, or Stuart Robertson. These
guys are writing books about it, and you can ask them any questions you have, and you
can't imagine what your questions are until you go. There are three key sights
that you must see along this fifty-mile stretch. Arromanches, the epicenter of the
attack, where the allies figured that we couldn't-- they couldn't take an existing
port because they were so fortified by the Germans and protected, that they
built their own port overnight. Towing, at Arromanches, 17 old ships, 115 huge, football-
sized blocks of concrete across to surprise the Germans, and arrange them in
an arcing-fashion in the harbor to be a breakwater. They were supposed to last a
few years, they're still there today. This is the view from last year that I took. A
remarkable accomplishment. Imagine boats with floating pontoons coming to the
shore, and within one week,
the port Winston, named for the genius of Winston Churchill whose idea it was, offloaded
over 3,000 troops, 100,000 tons of material, and 60,000 vehicles to
support the inland invasion. We had a foothold, finally, in Western Europe.
Remarkable accomplishment, there's a cool little museum right there to
tell you the history of that particular event, and that harbor. The Pointe Du Hoc
is another important sight, the number two for you to see on the D-Day beaches. For
here, this cliff separating Utah from Omaha Beach on the D-Day beaches, juts out
far into the cliffs and housed six 155-millimeter guns. I'm not a military
expert, but I know that they could range 13 miles out into the sea.
In order for safe landings to occur, and for this successful invasion, they had to
run the Germans off that cliff with six guns like this. And so, backing up, the rangers scaled
those cliffs, the US Rangers, 200 of them, imagine at low tide, because they
had to using ladders and grappling hooks from London fire departments, in one of
the most gripping events in Normandy D-Day invasion history. That's after we bombed the
smithereens at the top of the site, hoping to destroy those guns in any
case, but the Rangers had no idea what they would find when they got to
the top.
it is a gripping sight to see. And the American cemetery, where 10,000 almost
Americans lie today.
Crowning white crosses and Stars of David, crowning a beautiful bluff
above Omaha beach, the eye of the storm of the D-Day invasions. And the visitor
center today presents travelers with a great-- different than the museums, it has
artifacts, personal possessions of the fellows who lie in the cemetery,
establishing for you, as a visitor, a personal connection to these people.
Their names, the state they're from, what mattered to them, letters to their
parents, and this kind of thing. The American cemetery is a powerful sight for
us to visit. Just six miles inland of the D-Day beaches, the city of Bayeux lies in
perfect state of repair because it was the first to be liberated, it wasn't
bombed in the war. And in that church, the Grand Cathedral of Bayeux, "Notre Dame
de Bayeux," this tapestry hung for a long period of time,
commemorating an entirely different invasion. 70 yards long, about a meter
high, a yard high, the Tapestry of Bayeux told the story of a reverse invasion across the
Atlantic, of William the Conqueror's victory in 1066 over Harold in England
at the Battle of Hastings, just off the D-Day beaches. Oh and it's-- the museum
where it's located today, presents this tapestry, one of the greatest documents
we have from the middle ages, in a beautiful
fashion for you to visit today. Allocate a whole day to the D-Day beaches at
least, then your morning and early afternoon to Bayeux, then head out for
an hour and a half south, down here to the Mont Saint-Michel. A headache to get to
unless you have a car but it's doable. Read the book, it is doable if you don't have
a car, it's manageable, but you need to plan ahead here. And that Europe's
greatest tidal change region. This island abbey, for a long time an island abbey,
sits as a reclusive place for monks to get away from the madding crowd, but in
the 1800's, it was no longer an island. This causeway was built to allow us to
come and access the island, so they didn't have to muddy their feet in the mud
waters when it was low tide. 10 years of planning and work have destroyed that
causeway, and created an entirely new bridge, which today is done. This was two
years ago when I took this image. That's gone, that bus over here is on this bridge,
allowing the water to circulate around the island again,
re-creating its island fashion. That's a remarkable accomplishment, and for me, as a
guide book writer who sees it all the time, it's thrilling. I think so many
sights in France are getting better every year because of the investment of the
government.
Half of the height of the island at Mont Saint-Michel is man-made when you
see it,
remarkable accomplishment. 1200 years old, one civilization built on top
of the other, higher and higher they built. Arrive after five, or you'll run headlong
into this group of people. Don't arrive before five, simple, it rhymes. Arrive
after five, and you'll have the city to yourself, the island abbey, all the streets, pardon
me, to yourself.
Spend the night, five different hotels are available at reasonable prices on the
island, or where the shuttle buses leave from on the mainland to get you across. The
shuttle buses run to the island, I should tell you, every couple of minutes, so staying
on the mainland works just as easily. But the key is to see this beautiful
abbey late in the day with no crowds, or first thing in the morning when it opens.
It's also open late at night in the summer months, with logs, and fires, and
classical music playing if you want to tour it, but the idea of spending the night
is so you see it looking like this. Every day of the year,
this beautiful monument is illuminated like this. If you came between ten and
three, imagine what you would have missed. That's Normandy too.
It's about a four to five hour car-- call it five hours car, six hour train ride, to connect
Mont Sainte-Michel in with the heart of the Loire Valley, then a couple hours right back up
to Paris, by the way. This is the happy hunting grounds of kings and queens of
France. Because of its strategic location, in the Middle Ages and 1400s
and 1500s, over 1,000 castles are built in this region. It's crazy.
Hunting was the sport of the day and age, the king, this is the king's palace,
hunting palace of Chambord, we'll get you more detail in a moment. It's
popular because so many people wanted to rub shoulders with a king. Because of all
those castles, many of them have been turned into hotels 'cause they can't
all be open to tourists for visiting, so here's your chance to stay
at a château and eat goat cheese. This is the-- if you love goat cheese, the Loire Valley is
probably the greatest region for goat cheese. It's also popular for trout and
"pate de pork," kind of a pate of pork. Bike riding is a romantic notion in
the Loire Valley, it sounds great to travel, to ride your bike between castle
to castle, until you get on that bicycle seat, if you haven't ridden for a while,
and realize it's an hour and half ride from
this castle to that castle. Go ahead, if you want to, but my advice is to take it easy,
take a minivan tour if you don't have a car, they work very well.
Trains work well in the Loire Valley, believe it or not, mixing in with buses
to get you to the châteaux and stay in Amboise or take a car, rent a car. Many people
rent a car just for the day. Amboise is on the Loire River, on the Loire River, the largest
river in the area, is the best base for, I think, for seeing the chat--
the greatest of the châteaux. This is the king's palace, and it's a lovely
little town with lots of hotels and restaurants that we recommend, and the
highlight for most sightseers in the little town of Amboise is the home of
Leonardo da Vinci. Few people know he ended the last several years of his life
here, brought up by the Renaissance King of France, Francois I, just to
be smart for him. That's pretty cool, "just be smart for me." I'd like somebody do
that with me someday.
You can-- the Clos Lucé is the name of his home, and that's nice to visit, and
memories of Leonardo da Vinci are interesting, but what really matters is
that in the basement, and in the huge park around, they have reconstructed the
inventions of this genius who died over 500 years ago. And you'll see tanks
in the background,
helicopters, the invention of the helicopter, airplane flight, as you wander through this
museum and you wonder, "how did he come up with these ideas?" It's a remarkable
understanding of the genius of Leonardo da Vinci. With a full day outside of Amboise,
two, maybe three, châteaux for big people is the recommended dosage.
Start with Chenonceau. Arrive before nine, leave Amboise at 8:30, arrive about quarter
of nine here, and beat the crowds. This is the full package, this is the grandest of
the Loire Valley châteaux: Chenonceau. It has beautiful gardens, gorgeous
interior with good audio guided tours for you, we also cover it in our guidebook, it
has the whole package of the sights of a livable château. By the way, in the
summertime the gardens are open till late at night.
Consider having dinner at one of the restaurants I recommended in Chenonceau,
then wander in for $5 and enjoy just the gardens, and the reflected light of
Chenonceau at night. The king's palace, Château Chambord, is about 45 minutes
away, only way to get here is really a minivan tour, or your car, or
scheduled buses from the city of Blois. Anyway, 440 rooms, 365 chimneys. You could have a
fireplace in a different room every day of the year. This is the king's castle,
it's his hunting palace. He never spent very much time here. The rooms are big,
the place is big, so the crowds aren't a problem. Doesn't matter when you go. Make
sure, whatever you do, get to the top
rooftop, and explore those chimneys that received 365--
spires, pardon me, chimneys' worth of fire, and understand why they were there.
Plan your own hunting attack. Hunting is a winter sport,
the trees are deciduous. It's a lot easier to see those animals when the
trees are empty of leaves, isn't it. Thus, people come and hunt in the winter time, and
they need heat, and they need tapestries guarding their walls to make it
worthwhile for them to go. End your day, maybe, at the Château de Cheverny, a lovely,
intimate castle where the duke-- the count still lives on the corner right side, and
still today you can tour the bottom two floors. And get the best sense of the
French hunt by visiting in the afternoon, and seeing the feeding of the 80 french
blood hound dogs, every afternoon of the year at Cheverny. That adds a dimension
and a statement to your sightseeing of the Loire Valley, and understand the
importance of the hunt. Ninety minutes away, if you have another day for your
sightseeing in the Loire Valley, the beautiful city of Chinon lies on the
Vienne River.
Feudal castle, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry II, ruled a swath of Europe not
seen from England to southern France, southwestern part of France in the 1200s.
Joan of Arc, in the 1400s, would come and stay at this castle in Chinon,
To encourage Charles VII to rally the French against the English, and
kick them out of France for once and for all, and the feudal fortresses is there for
you to visit today. There's really not a lot to see there, unless you like just
the memories of those two powerful women, Eleanor of Aquitaine and Joan of Arc. The city
below is a lovely town just to spend time in and I like it as a base for
touring châteaux on this side of the Loire region. It's also a good base for nearby
visiting châteaux of the garden varietal. Here at Villandry, if you're into
gardens and even if you're not into gardens, you gotta see this-- I mean this place is remarkable.
Herbal plants planted according to medieval monks ideas, and vegetables, and
ornamental gardens at the Château of Villandry here, give the traveler a lovely
example of another aspect of château life. The Château of Azay-le-Rideau floats gorgeously in a
reflecting pond, and is open most nights of the year, many nights, I should say, in high season
until late, with the sound and light show, and its remind-- that's also close to
Chinon. This reminds me
that many châteaux-- several châteaux do the sound and light shows for you, and
they're interesting, they're not overwhelming, but they're interesting, but
they certainly extend the traveler's day. This information for the Loire and the
Normandy region is all covered in my-- in our guidebook on France, and again,
these two regions coupled together with Paris make for an ideal 10-day trip,
particularly if you've never been before.
If you've enjoyed this video, you'll find lots more at
ricksteves.com, and on my Rick Steves YouTube channel.
Happy travels, and thanks for joining us.